Supporting and adjusting means for parallel bars



SUPPORTING AND ADJUSTING MEANS FOR PARALLEL BARS Filed June 14, 1955 E. A. SNAPP, JR

Oct. 8, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet. J.

ward A. Swamp Jr.

. INVENTOR.

2,808,873 SUPPORTING AND ADJUSTING MEANS FOR PARALLEL BARS Filed June 14, 1955 Oct. 8, 1957 E. A. SNAPP, JR

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Edward A. .Snapp, Jr.

IN V EN TQR.

United States Patent SUPPORTING AND ADJUSTING MEANS FOR PARALLEL BARS Edward A. Snapp, Jr., Houston, Tex. Application June 14, 1955, Serial No. 515,338

1 Claim. (Cl. 15522) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in parallel bars and the primary object of the present invention is to provide parallel bars and supporting means therefor so that as the bars are moved upwardly they will be spaced apart a greater distance and as they are lowered they will be moved toward each other, to approximate a normal width between hands as compared to change of heights in normal growth for use in rehabilitation of physically handicapped persons.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a supporting and adjusting means for parallel bars including a plurality of vertically adjustable carriages and novel and improved means for locking the carriages adjusted so that parallel bars associated with the carriages may be selectively raised and lowered to the comfort of a user.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for supporting persons having difficulty in maintaining their balance when standing or walking and for re-accustoming a person to standing and/or ambulation following convalescence or a period in which a person was unable to stand or walk, the device being readily adjusted from one end thereof whereby the horizontal bars may be raised or lowered in a convenient manner.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a supporting and adjusting means for parallel bars that is simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, efficient and durable in operation, inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of one of the supports shown in Figure l and illustrating the carriage thereof locked against movement;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the supporting arm raised so that the carriage may be adjusted;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 5-5 of Figure 2, and

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 66 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral 10 represents a base or support having a flat anchor member 12 that is provided with apertures accommodating fasteners 14 whereby the anchor member may be secured against a supporting structure, such as a floor surface.

A vertically inclined rail or guide bar 16 is fixed at its lower end by welding or the like to the anchor member 12. The guide bar 16 is braced to the anchor member 12 by brace bars 18 and 20 that are terminally fixedly secured to the guide bar 16 and the anchor member 12.

The lower end of a second rail or guide and supporting polygonal rod 22 rests against the anchor member 12 and is secured to the anchor member 12 by a fastener 24. The rod 22 parallels the bar 16 and the upper end thereof is reversely bent at 26 with the free end received in the upper end of the tubular bar 16 thereby connecting the upper ends of the bar 16 and rod 22 together.

A carriage 36 is slidably supported on the rails 16 and 22 and includes a pair of rigidly spaced plates 38 between which the rail 22 is located. At the lower ends of the plates 38 is supported a lower cylindrical roller 42 that rides against the rear surface of the rail 22 as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

The upper ends of the plates 38 support an upper cylindrical roller 44 that rides against the rear surface of the rail 22 in spaced relation to the roller 42 for guiding longitudinal vertical movement of the carriage 36 on the rail 22.

A horizontal shaft 50 extends through the side plates 38 and through an aperture in the enlarged inner end portion 52 of a holding arm 54. An upper gear 56 is keyed on the shaft 50 between the furcations of the arm 54 and meshes with a rack bar 58 fixed to the front surface of the rod 22. Hand wheels 60 are fixed to the ends of the shaft 50 whereby the shaft may be rotated to drive gear 56 and thereby selectively raise and lower the carriage.

A horizontal rod 62 is secured between the furcations of arm 54 under the shaft 50 and supports a second gear 64 that meshes with gear 56. When the arm 54 is swung to a substantially horizontal position, the gear 64 will engage teeth of the rack bar 58, as shown in Figure 2, to lock the carriage adjusted on the rails 16 and 22.

A horizontal seat member 66 is fixed by welding or the like to the arm 54 and fixedly supports a horizontal parallel bar 68. The seat member 66 is substantially concave-convex and faces upwardly to engage the lower periphery of the bar 68 which is fixed thereagainst.

Extending between the front lower portion of the plate 38 is a rod 70 having a right angularly extending portion 72 which forms a pivotal axle between the plates 38. Mounted on the axle or rod 70 is a sleeve 74 which is secured thereto by a set-screw 76. Extending from the center portion of the sleeve 74 is an elongated latch member 78 having a hooked end 80 and a notch 82 on the undersurface thereof for selective engagement with a transverse rod 84 extending between the furcations of the arm 54. A second rod 86 extends between the furcations of the arm 54 for limiting the pivotal swinging movement of the latch 78 thereby limiting the movement thereof.

In practical use of the present invention, a plurality of the supports 10 is used with the bar 68. The shaft 50 is common to the carriages of each support so that the wheels 60 may be employed for simultaneously adjusting the carriages as the arms 54 are held raised by the bar 68 fixed thereto. Two bars 68 are employed with the invention with a suitable number of supports 10 for each bar 68. The supports for one bar 68 are arranged in upwardly diverging relationship to the supports 10 for the other bar 68 so that as the bars 68 are raised they will be moved apart to permit use of the apparatus by persons of various heights. In order to prevent accidental displacement of the bars '68, the latch 78 is provided which will engage the transverse rod 84 in the notch 82 for retaining the arms 54 in a lowered position until the handle 72 is grasped for disengaging the latch 78 wherein the rod 84 may be moved to the hooked end of the latch 78 by upward movement of the arm 54.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art; it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents, may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinventionas claimed;

What is claimed as new is as follows: i

A supporting structure for parallel bars, saidsupporting structure comprising a plurality of supports arranged in opposed pairs, each of said pairs of supports including a pair of spaced andupwardly diverging bars, rails secured to said bars parallel to said' bars, carriages slidably supported on the rails, means carried by the carriages slidably engaging therails, horizontal shafts extending :through and between said carriages; each of said carriages having a pair of spacedwalls; a group-of supportingarrnstswing ably mounted on each of the shafts, there being one arm between the spaced walls of each 'of' said carriages, gears keyed on said shafts between said spaced walls, racks" secured to said guide rails, said gears being enmeshed with said racks, handwheel fixed to said shafts for rotating the shafts so that the gears will ride upon the racks and said bars to selectively raise and lower the carriages while selectively separating and moving said carriages towards each other, respectively, and additional gears rotatably supported between the spaced walls of said carriages meshing with the first named gears and engageable with the racks when the arms are disposed ina-horizontallposition to lock the carriages in an adjusted position on the rails.

References Cited in'the file of this patent UNITED STATES; PATENTS 860,517 Zerglund July 16, 1907 1,218,021 Walther Mar. 6, 1917 1,465,939 Hamilton Aug. 28, 1923 2,690,789 Zadrozny Oct. 5, 1954 

